Date: Mon, 1 Dec 2008 09:17:30 -0500 From: Tom Rhodes <trhodes@FreeBSD.org> To: Gabor PALI <pgj@FreeBSD.org> Cc: freebsd-doc@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: RFR: A "Boot Time Splash Screens" Section to the Handbook Message-ID: <20081201091730.0ef555fa.trhodes@FreeBSD.org> In-Reply-To: <49330A66.8040801@FreeBSD.org> References: <493155ED.8020004@FreeBSD.org> <49316309.1050407@gmail.com> <49330A66.8040801@FreeBSD.org>
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On Sun, 30 Nov 2008 22:49:26 +0100
Gabor PALI <pgj@freebsd.org> wrote:
> Manolis Kiagias wrote:
> > Here are a few nits you may want to act on.
>=20
> Thank you for your review. I fixed all the problems you pointed out and
> created a new version [1][2].
>=20
>=20
> > I can't tell about technical accuracy.
>=20
> Hm, it seems I should really test the description myself :)
>=20
>=20
> > "Note that, a 320x200 ___splash screen___ image will be displayed as a
> > small block in the center of a solid white background screen." =3D> I
> > don't understand what you mean by this. Since the resolution at boot
> > will be 320x200, the splash screen will still fill the entire screen.
> > Do you mean to compare the size of the image to a typical desktop?
>=20
> To be honest, it was (blindly) imported from the original text. As far
> as I remember (I used splash screens about three years ago), it wants to
> tell you something like "if you have a 320x200 image but the resolution
> is higher, then it will be put in the middle of the screen". Anyway, I
> removed this sentence, since I do not see any clear connection with the
> other sentences.
>=20
>=20
> > While discussing text mode screensavers, it might be worth mentioning
> > that you can get the list of available savers by ls=20
> > /boot/kernel/*saver.ko or something along that line.
>=20
> Instead of this, I simply referenced the splash(4) manual page, it
> should be enough.
>=20
>=20
> > I also feel some longer sentences could use a few commas.
>=20
> I tried to insert those commas, and split some longer sentences up into
> smaller ones.
>=20
>=20
> > I've only peeked at the SGML, but I am sure there is nothing to fix
> > there :)
>=20
> Thank you for trusting my SGML skills :)
>=20
>=20
> Note for native speakers: please, review!
You asked. :P
Index: chapter.sgml
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
RCS file: /home/dcvs/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/boot/chapter.sgml,v
retrieving revision 1.65
diff -u -r1.65 chapter.sgml
--- chapter.sgml 30 May 2006 23:08:23 -0000 1.65
+++ chapter.sgml 30 Nov 2008 21:53:30 -0000
@@ -507,6 +507,192 @@
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</sect3>
+
+ <sect3 id=3D"boot-splash">
+ <sect3info>
+ <authorgroup>
+ <author>
+ <firstname>Joseph J.</firstname>
+ <surname>Barbish</surname>
+ <contrib>Contributed by </contrib>
+ </author>
+ </authorgroup>
+ </sect3info>
+
+ <title>Boot Time Splash Screens</title>
+
+ <para>&os; has a feature to allow the display of a <quote>splash
+ screen</quote> in place of showing boot messages. This makes
+ for a clearer visually experience getting to the legacy
What?
How about:
"The splash screen creates a more visually appealing boot screen
comparied to the original boot messages. This screen will be
displayed until a console login prompt or X Display Manager offers
a login prompt."
+ virtual console text login prompt and/or the X Display Manager
+ graphical login screen.</para>
+
+ <para>There are two basic environments available in &os;. The
+ first is the default legacy virtual console text command line
Axe the "text" word here.
+ environment. After the system finishes booting, a virtual
+ console text login prompt is presented. The second
Probably axe "text" here too - I know you're attempting to describe
the look; however, it just sounds odd to me. Similar below.
+ environment is the X11 Desktop graphical environment. After
+ <link linkend=3D"x-install">X11</link> and one of the graphical
+ <link linkend=3D"x11-wm">desktop environments</link>, such as
+ <application>GNOME</application>,
+ <application>KDE</application>, or
+ <application>XFce</application> are installed, the X11 desktop
+ can be launched from the command line by using the
+ <command>startx</command> command.</para>
+
+ <para>Some X11 users may select <emphasis>not</emphasis> to stop
"may elect" here, but I think this entire bit needs reworded.
"Some users prefer the X11 desktop graphical login screen over the
traditional text based login prompt."
is one example of a better sentence.
+ at the virtual console login prompt at boot time, but go
+ directly to the X11 desktop display manager's graphical login
+ screen. Popular choices are <application>XDM</application>,
+ the display manager of &xorg;, <application>gdm</application>
+ for <application>GNOME</application>, and
+ <application>kdm</application> for
+ <application>KDE</application>, but any other display manager
+ found in the Ports Collection could be used. These display
Not sure about this sentence either. :(
+ managers basically provide a graphical login screen in place
+ of the default legacy virtual console text login prompt.
+ After a successful login, they present the user with a
+ graphical desktop.</para>
+
+ <para>In the virtual console text command line environment, the
+ splash screen would hide all the boot probe messages and task
+ startup messages before displaying the login prompt. In X11
+ environment, the users would get a visually clearer system
+ start up experience resembling something closer to what a
+ (µsoft; &windows; or non-unix type system) user would
+ experience.</para>
+
+ <sect4 id=3D"boot-splash-function">
+ <title>Splash Screen Function</title>
+
+ <para>The <quote>splash screen</quote> function only supports
+ 256-color bitmap (<filename>.bmp</filename>) or ZSoft
+ <acronym>PCX</acronym> (<filename>.pcx</filename>) files.
+ In addition, the splash image files must have a resolution
+ of 320 by 200 pixels or less to work on standard VGA
+ adapters.</para>
+
+ <para>To use larger images, up to the maximum resolution
+ supported by the video card, activate the
+ <acronym>VESA</acronym> support included in &os;. This can
+ be enabled by loading the <acronym>VESA</acronym> module
+ during system boot, or adding a <literal>VESA</literal>
+ kernel configuration option and building a custom kernel
+ (see <xref linkend=3D"kernelconfig">). The
+ <acronym>VESA</acronym> support gives users the ability to
+ display a <quote>splash screen</quote> image that fills the
+ whole display screen.
+
+ <para>While the <quote>splash screen</quote> is being
+ displayed during the booting process, it can be turned off
+ any time by hitting a key.</para>
"by hitting any key on the keyboard."
+
+ <para>The <quote>splash screen</quote> defaults to becoming a
+ screen saver. After a time period of non-use the screen
"also defaults to being a screen saver outside of X11."
+ will change to the <quote>splash screen</quote> and cycle
+ through steps of changing intensity of the image, from
+ bright intensity to a very dark intensity and over again.
+ This default <quote>splash screen</quote> (screen saver)
+ behavior could be overridden by adding a
+ <literal>saver=3D</literal> line to
+ <filename>/etc/rc.conf</filename>. Option
+ <literal>saver=3D</literal> has several built-in screen savers
+ to choose from, the full list can be found in the
+ &man.splash.4; manual page. The default <quote>splash
+ screen</quote> screen saver is called <quote>warp</quote>.
+ Note that, the <literal>saver=3D</literal> option specified in
"Note that the ..."
+ <filename>/etc/rc.conf</filename> only applies to virtual
+ consoles. It has no effect on X11 display managers.</para>
+
+ <para>At boot time with the <quote>splash screen</quote>
+ enabled, a few boot loader messages still could be seen leading
+ up to and including the boot options menu, and a timed wait
+ count down prompt before the <quote>splash screen</quote> is
+ displayed.</para>
This sentence is a bit much.
+
+ <para>Sample splash screen files can be downloaded from the
+ gallery at <ulink
+ url=3D"http://www.baldwin.cx/splash/"></ulink>.</para>;
+ </sect4>
+
+ <sect4 id=3D"boot-splash-enable">
+ <title>Enabling the Splash Screen Function</title>
+
+ <para>The <quote>splash screen</quote>
+ (<filename>.bmp</filename>) or (<filename>.pcx</filename>)
+ file has to be placed in the <filename
+ class=3D"directory">/boot</filename> directory.</para>
+
+ <para>For default boot display resolution (256-color, 320 by
+ 200 pixels, or less), edit
+ <filename>/boot/loader.conf</filename>, so it contains the
+ following:</para>
+
+ <programlisting>splash_bmp_load=3D"YES"
+bitmap_load=3D"YES"
+bitmap_name=3D"<replaceable>/boot/splash.bmp</replaceable>"</programlistin=
g>
+
+ <para>For larger video resolutions up to the maximum of the
+ video card, edit <filename>/boot/loader.conf</filename>, so
+ it contains the following:</para>
+
+ <programlisting>vesa_load=3D"YES"
+splash_bmp_load=3D"YES"
+bitmap_load=3D"YES"
+bitmap_name=3D"<replaceable>/boot/splash.bmp</replaceable>"</programlistin=
g>
+
+ <para>The above assumes that
+ <filename><replaceable>/boot/splash.bmp</replaceable></filename>
+ is used for splash screen. When a <acronym>PCX</acronym>
+ file is desired, use the previous statements, plus the
+ <literal>vesa_load=3D"YES"</literal> line depending on the
+ resolution.</para>
+
+ <programlisting>splash_pcx_load=3D"YES"
+bitmap_load=3D"YES"
+bitmap_name=3D"<replaceable>/boot/splash.pcx</replaceable>"</programlistin=
g>
+
+ <para>The file name is not really restricted to
Axe the word "really" here.
+ <quote>splash</quote> as shown in the above example. It can
+ be anything as long as it has type of <acronym>BMP</acronym>
+ or <acronym>PCX</acronym>, such as
+ <filename><replaceable>splash_640x400</replaceable>.bmp</filename>
+ or
+ <filename><replaceable>blue_wave</replaceable>.pcx</filename>.</para>
+
+ <para>There are another two possible interesting
+ <filename>loader.conf</filename> options.</para>
Not sure about this one.
+
+ <variablelist>
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term><literal>beastie_disable=3D"YES"</literal></term>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>This will stop the boot options menu from being
+ displayed, but the timed wait count down prompt will
+ still be present. Even with the display of the boot
+ options menu disabled, entering an option selection at
+ the timed wait count down prompt will enact the
+ corresponding boot option.</para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+
+ <varlistentry>
+ <term><literal>loader_logo=3D"beastie"</literal></term>
+
+ <listitem>
+ <para>This will replace the default words
+ <quote>&os;</quote>, which are displayed to the right
+ of the boot options menu with the colored beastie logo
+ like releases in the past had.</para>
+ </listitem>
+ </varlistentry>
+ </variablelist>
+
+ <para>For more information, please see the &man.splash.4;,
+ &man.loader.conf.5;, and &man.vga.4; manual pages.</para>
+ </sect4>
+ </sect3>
</sect2>
</sect1>
Hope that helps.
--=20
Tom Rhodes
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